Electrical connector systems are known in the art. For providing electrical conductive connections between a cable/wire and a printed circuit board, typically the printed circuit board is provided with respective pins or terminals, and a corresponding terminal is arranged on the wire, such that a pluggable connection can be provided. In typical applications, such as in the field of automotive manufacturing, a plurality of cables/wires has to be connected to a printed circuit board that is for example part of a printed circuit board-based electrical center. Those electrical centers gather several electrical connections that may be pluggable. Thus, particularly if multiple cables have to be connected, the cables can be gathered together in a harness that is provided with a multi-terminal connector. The connectors are typically limited with regard to power supply characteristics, and therefore mainly used for the signal lines. Hence, for power supply connections additional connecting facilities are required and among others, bus bars, bolts, nuts and ring terminals are commonly used. Due to the use of multiple components, and due to the complex connection of nuts and ring terminals compared to pluggable connections, known solutions for connecting the harness and the power supply to a printed circuit board are expensive and time consuming.
To avoid the use of bus bars, bolts, nuts and ring terminals hardwired printed circuit boards are preferred, since the terminals of the cables/wires can be directly connected to the corresponding counter terminals of the PCB by plugging. Typically, the terminals of the cables/wires are fixedly locked by corresponding locking means provided on the PCB, when firstly connected to the corresponding counter terminal. The fix locking hinders the terminals from being released, when for example being wrongly connected or for maintenance reasons. In particular the releasing of the terminals is difficult, since the terminals are typically inserted into an inlet opening of a housing of the PCB and locked therein. When installed, the cable and respectively the corresponding terminal obscures the locking means, seen from the inlet opening. Further, the outlet opening, with which the terminal is connected to the PCB is obscured by the PCB. Thus, to release the connection between the terminal and the PCB, and to remove the terminal completely, either releasing tools such as screw drivers or the like have to be used, or the PCB has to be removed first. The use of releasing tools bears the risk of damaging the PCB due to misuse and slipping. Removing the PCB requires disconnecting the entire harness and is therefore time consuming and prone to damage or destroy the PCB and/or the terminals of the PCB.
Thus, there is a need in the art for connecting facilities for PCBs with improved handling characteristics, in particular improved connecting and releasing characteristics, and with a secure connection and preferably a reduced number of parts.